Author
Topic: Newbie Pizza Making Equipment List? (Read 3954 times)

I'm committed to making our own fresh pizza dough, and cooking it on either my Weber Kettle or Weber gas Genesis Grill. I expect to make 4+ pizzas per cook, cooking at least every other week. The type of pizza will be a mix, I want to try it all. We like the pizza we have produced with Trader Joes dough shown here, thicker outer crust , center is about 1/2 to 1/3 as thick as the outer edge, crisp crunch bottom.

I need a equipment list to make the dough. We only have a hand mixer, not a stand. We do not own a food processor, or any other heavy duty mixer.

Before creating a list please consider that I'm big on "bang for buck", I'm a function over form kind of guy. I have a busy schedule, and only enough energy to do this one day of the week, so simplicity and convenience is critical. However I'm demanding on results. Hence I didn't buy a off the shelf pizza stone, instead I purchased a kiln shelf cordierite stone, and it works GREAT! (Of course great is relative, since I have never tried any other stone.) Last year we hastily bought a Taylor Digital remote probe thermostat for a special Christmas dinner, it failed in July, after 8 months of moderate use, the replacement will be a level or two upgrade and a different brand.

I have followed the digital scale recommendation and see KD-7000 is popular.

When cooking 4 pizzas, 2 will be promptly eaten the other two refrigerated for later. Question, is freezing the cooked pizza a problem? What would be the best way to freeze prepared pizza? One gal I knew used to make up 1/2 dozen uncooked pizzas then freeze em, for later use. Is freezing uncooked pizza preferable to cooked pizza, (using only kitchen oven to reheat or cook)?

All input is appreciated!!!

BTW, just finished one of the pies we cooked last night, reheated in non-preheated oven 500deg for 6 minutes. The pie was very good reheated, especially with a tall glass of Sangria

I have to tell you that I must have read at least 50% of the posts on pizzamaking.com before posing a few questions. Most if not all of the questions you have asked have already been discussed to the nth degree on this site.

You will find that you will learn substantially more if you go back to the source material and find the data yourself.

If you are going to make 4 pizza's every two weeks you can easily get by with making the dough on a good stone counter top with your hands. Hand knead - stretch and fold.

btw - I have the KD-7001 and unlike most I have a lot of trouble with it. One of these days it will go flying out an open window.

I have to tell you that I must have read at least 50% of the posts on pizzamaking.com before posing a few questions. Most if not all of the questions you have asked have already been discussed to the nth degree on this site.PNW

I expected a reply similar to yours.

I have been lurking around for about a month. I may have read over 300 posts, and lots of threads. Including threads about thermometers, infrared thermometers, digital scales, food processor vs dough mixer, etc. I will say I read more about ovens i.e LGE and 2stone's products and posts than about making dough. Why, I wasn't sure I wanted to hassle with dough making since TJs is so close.As it turns out like many here I like to cook, and tinker, and it thus want to get my hands all doughy.

I think it would be great to have a sticky for the newbie category that covered a FAQ on pizza equipment.I also believe that many of the readers on this forum as their pizza making skill improved, possibly their opinions about equipment change. Hence your comment on the digital scale.

So I posed the question for several reasons:1. Hopefully it may be useful to other newbies, because the subject will be indexed with Newbie and equipment, thus helping new users searching for the same information, they could find an extensive thread (this one, maybe not) covering the info they and I seek.2. Maybe I and other newbies get lucky and avoid buying products that others have tested and found not measuring up.3. This is a specific topic, asking the question, what is required, sort of startup kit if you will. Some will feel not much is needed, yet other experienced pizza makers may think more than the minimum is necessary.

Finally if no one is interested in covering what has been already covered, thats fine too. The necessary info is somewhere on this forum, requiring multiple searches, and hours of pouring through follow-up posts that may or may not be germane. I applaud you for searching out this info, and scolding us that haven't followed your path. However as the proverb says: "you didn't receive, because you didn't ask". I chose asking first, maybe a good samaritan will offer some help. (However some may think I mean disrespect here, I don't, I know PNW is a regular contributor to the forum and appreciate his input, sometimes I can be a bit sarcastic. Again no disrespect PNW!)

Last I participate on a couple of different forums, mainly about a product I really enjoy using in cooking. I try to respond to those thinking about that product so they can avoid the pitfalls I encounter. I am hoping experienced PMFers will offer the same kind of help, or point me in the right direction. BTW Pete-zza is amazing with the tireless help he offers every day, as do many other PMFers including PNW.

Question, is freezing the cooked pizza a problem? What would be the best way to freeze prepared pizza? One gal I knew used to make up 1/2 dozen uncooked pizzas then freeze em, for later use. Is freezing uncooked pizza preferable to cooked pizza, (using only kitchen oven to reheat or cook)?

You can freeze cooked and uncooked pizza. I prefer to another approach: I proof dough balls in individual plastic Glad bowls. Those I don't use are simply placed in the refrigerator. I've used them a week or more later and they can make crusts as good or better than the original dough. Just bring them up to room temp, shape, top, and bake. You can even try freezing and thawing the extra dough balls. If freezing, wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and then place in a ZipLock freezer bag. Cold storage can change the structure of dough, so you'll need to experiment with your particular dough formula to see how well it stands up.

I have written on many topics on this forum, in many cases extensively and often. So, when I want to find something to help another member, I click on the icon next to the search box on the top of any page and conduct a search of what I may have written on any given subject. If you use my name as the author in the advanced search box ("user"), along with keywords, you are quite likely to find what you are looking for. I did this this morning in respect of some of your questions and found the following:

I even started a thread that describes how to use the advanced search feature, at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,3101.0.html. The forum software was changed since I started that thread but, as best I can tell, most of the advice is still sound. Using the advanced search feature, you should be able to narrow your search to subsidiary topics, like peels, screens, stones, scales, thermometers, etc. I personally prefer that members conduct searches before asking questions. It often takes a lot of time to compose replies to member requests, as it did for me to collect the information for this reply. Often the members who request information leave the forum once their information needs have been met, and never have a chance to give anything back to the forum. So, there is a lot of wasted effort in such cases.

Thanks for the links, they are extremely helpful, and show you have vast experience and knowledge. Again thank you for sharing this info.

After reading the links, if you were to buy today, stand mixer or food processor?

bbqnpizza,

That is a decision that you will have to make based on your budget and the types and numbers of dough balls and pizzas you plan to make. I can make a case out for either machine. For example, if you plan to specialize in cracker-type pizza doughs, I think a food processor does a better job than a stand mixer. A stand mixer has multiple uses beyond pizza dough, so that is something that you (and your wife) may want to keep in mind. However, if you decide to go with a stand mixer, I would get a good model with a spiral hook.